Routing machine



July 24, 1923.

'r. c. HANSEN ROUTING MACHINE Filed April 10, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ANSEN ROUTING MACKINE Filed April 10. 1922 s Shoets-Sheei 2 July 24,1923.

T. C. HANSEN ROUTING MACHINE Filed April 10,

1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 grooved,

Patented July 24, 1923.

UNITE STTES OFFlfi.

ROUTING MACHINE.

Application filed April 10, 1922.

To all to hem it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE C. HANSEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Routing Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

It is common practice to construct the sounding boards of pianos with ribs extending across one of the surfaces thereof and spaced apart at regular intervals, the end portions of which ribs are fitted into grooves of the sounding board frame. In such devices it is of course essential for the securing of the best results that the grooves that receive such ribs be made with the greatest exactness so that the fit of the ribs therein be as nearly perfect as possible. My invention relates to improvements in routing machines, which, while not confined to work in connection with piano manufacture, is designed primarily for making grooves such as referred to. It is the leading object of the invention to provide mechanism, that, when used in connection with a suitable templet, will enable such grooves to be read ily, quickly and accurately formed, and that will permit the forming of such grooves equally well whether the grooves are cut entirely across the width of a frame memher or whether they end at an abutment rising above the surface that is being all as hereinafter more fully explained. I accomplish this object by the construction and arrangement of pairts shown in the drawings and hereinafter specifically described. That which I believe to be new will be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a routing machine embodying my improvements;

Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the machine, certain parts being broken away;

Fig. 3 is a detail, showing a sectional view of the yielding means that are normally held in fixed guiding relation to the rotary cutter but which are adapted to be moved out of the way to permit the cutter to cut a groove that ends at an abutment that rises from the surface being grooved;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on the line 1-& of Fig. 3;

Serial No. 551,303.

Fig. 5 is a view showing in front elevation the vertically-movable head that carries the rotating spindle and its cutter;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 66 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a detail, being an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 77 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a detail, being a vertical section taken on the line 88 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a detail showing in plan view a portion of a frame as grooved by a machine embodying my improvements; and

Fig. 10 is a cross-section taken at line 1010 of Fig. 9. Referring to the drawings, 10, 11v and 12 indicate, respectively, the inner, intermediate, and outer members of an articulated arm which carries at its forward end the cutting mechanism. The inner arm member 10 isjournaled on a vertical shaft 13 carried by a bracket 14 that will be bolted to any suitable support. The shaft connecting the intermediate member 11 with the member 10 is indicated by, 15, and the shaft connecting the two members 11 and 12 isindicated by 16. The formation of such an arm and the connecting together of its several members is of ordinary construction. As is well-known, this jointed-arm construc tion permits the cutting means that is carried at the forward end thereof to be moved horizontally in any direction over the bed or table that supports the material being operated upon.

Rigidly secured to the forward end of the arm member 12indeed, preferably cast therew1th-is a vertical head that comprises aback plate 17 and two forwardly-extending side plates 18. 20 indicates a plurality of deeply grooved rollers-four in number as here shownsaid rollers being arranged in two pairs, one above the other, as clearly shown in Fig. 6, one pair being adjacent the upper end of the fixed head 17 18, and the other pair adjacent the lower end thereof, said rollers lying adjacent to the sidewalls 18 of said head. Each pair of rollers isconnected by a shaft 21, which, as shown in Fig. 8, is preferably cast integral therewith. As herein shown therollers are mounted to rotate upon tapered bearing members 22 which are screw-threaded into openings in the side walls 18 of the head, and each is fixed in position by a nut 23. 24 indicates a verticallya movable head 24 is formed with tapered ribs 26 of a size and shape to fit the grooves in the several rollers 20. These ribs so fitting in the grooved rollers, and the turned ends of the arms 25 lying against the smooth outer face of the'movable head, ensures such head being movable with ease in a vertical plane. The movable head and the parts attached thereto and hereinafter described are normally held in raised position by means of a coiled spring 27 of the required strength, which spring is connected at one end, in the construction shown, to an eye-bolt 28 that is screwed into the upper edge of the movable head and has its other end connected with an arm 29 that is adjustably mounted upon a standard 30 that rises from the upper part of the fixed head wall 17. Projecting forwardly from the front of the sliding head 24 are two brackets 31, located, respectively, near the upper and lower ends of such head, each of such brackets terminating in a heavy cylindrical portion 31 that is bored and screw-threaded tofreceive a bearing 32 screwed therein, each of said bearings being held in place by nuts 33 screwed upon their projecting ends, as clearly shown in Fig. 6. Extending through these two alined bearings 32 is a spindle 34, which, in the construction shown, has a central passage 35 from the top thereof down to a point near its lower end, through which passage lubricant from a cup 36 that is screwed into the top of the spindle may pass, and by suitable lateral ducts may effect the proper lubrication of the bearings. In connection with each of the bearings I prefer to provide a series of antifriction balls for'the shaft, an end portion of each of the bearing sleeves being enlarged, in the construction shown, to receive such balls. 'As shown, this enlargement is at the upper end of the lower bearing and is made somewhat larger than is required for merely accommodating the anti-friction balls and the grooved rings that constitute the raceway. 37 indicates a collar resting upon the upper bearing and made fast to the spindle, as shown by a set-screw 38. This collar has a downwardly-extending flange that extends down alongside of the ball race, and the space 39 between such flange and the surrounding wall of the enlarged part of the upper end of the bearing is packed with suitable material, which I have found a desirable thing to do to prevent the escape of lubricant that is forced up between the bearing and the shaft.

40 indicates an annular toothed cutter connected with the lower end of the spindle 35 in any suitable manner. As shown (see Fig. 6), it is secured to the spindle by means of a nut 41 loosely mounted on a reduced end portion of the stem 42 that carries the the slidinghead 24. The block is connected with the head by being bolted to a horizontal bracket 46 that is preferably formed with the sliding head and projects rearwardly therefrom, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 7. The under surface of the block 45 is, as shown in Fig. 4, provided with a dovetail groove therein into which fits a correspondingly-shaped rib 44 on the upper surface of the shoe, thus securely con-' necting the block and shoe together while permitting longitudinal movement of the shoe when required. Such movement of the shoe is not required or desirable in connection with the forming of many of the grooves on a piece of piano work, and, therefore, means are provided for normally holding such shoe firmly locked against any independent movement, but such locking means are of. a character that can be very readily and quickly manipulated by I the workman so as to permit the shoe to move backward when it is desirable, as hereinafter explained, for it to do so. The looking means referred to comprises a pin 47 that is slidably mounted in an opening through the block 45, near the rear end thereof, and is normally in ali-nement with a hole 48 through the rear portion of the dovetailed member of the shoe. With the evident that the shoe will be securely held against any independent endwise movement.

The dovetail shaped rib that interlocks with the block 45 is provided with longitudinal cavity 49 therein, in which is located a coiled spring 50, one end of which bears against a plug 51 that closes the forward open end of said cavity, and is preferably secured in place by being screw-threaded therein, the other end of the spring bearing against an abutment which. may be the closed inner end of the cavity, but which, in the construction shown, is a. pin 52 that is made fast in the block 45 and extends down through a slot 53 cut in the upper wall of the dovetail member 44 ,this pin 52 being provided as a limit stop for the movement of the shoe 44-and, by reason of its limiting the forward movement of the shoe that is caused by the action of the coiled spring, the hole 48 will be brought into proper position to receive the movable pin 47 that locks the block and shoe together. The raising of this pin 47 to permit an independent backward movement of the shoe is accomplished through a lever 54, the rear end of which engages such sliding pin 4'7 the engagement, in the construction shown, being by means of a forkingor slotting of the end of the lever so that it straddles a reduced portion of said pin 47, as clearly shown in Fig. 8. This lever 54 is fulcrumed as here shown, upon a short post 55 rising from the rearwardly-extendii'ig bracket 46. The forward end portion of this lever pro jects through an opening 56 (see Fig. 6) in the lower part of the sliding head 24, and lies over and in contact with the free end of a flat spring 57 whichnormally tends to keep such forward end of the lever raised, the effect being, of course, to hold the sliding pin 47 down so as to lock the shoe 44 against independent movement. The spring 57 is bolted, as clearly shown in Fig. 5, to

a handle bar 58 which extends across the front of the movable carriage 24'near the lower end thereof, and is suitably secured to such carriage. The handle bar is preferably provided at its ends with handles 59 adapted to be grasped by the user of the machine.

To this handle bar, and adjacent one of the handles, is a curved pivoted latch 60 the central portion of whichl is 'ehanneLshaped so as to receive between its sides (see Fig. 7) the said handle bar, the pivot that secures this latch to the bar being indicated by .61. One end portion of this pivoted latch overlies the forward end of the lever 54, as in dicated by dotted lines in said Fig. 5, and the other end preferably underlies the adjacent handle 59 so that it is within convenient reach of that hand of the operator that grasps that handle, and it will be evident that upon the operator pulling up on the latch the forward end of the lever 54 will be forced down against the action of the spring 57, and thereby the sliding pin 47 will be drawn up, as shown in dotted. lines in Fig. 3, thereby permitting the shoe 44 to be pushed back against the action of the coiled spring 50, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3.

The driving of the spindle 34 that carries the cutter 40 is by means of a series of belts and pulleys connecting such spindle with the shaft 13, which is driven from, any suitable source of power. The driving means referred to comprises a pulley 62 fast on the spindle, over which pulley passes a belt 63 that passes around a drum 64 fast on the shaft 16 that connects the front and intermediate armmembers 12 and 11 together.

This belt 63 passes through openings 65 in the movable head 24, and through other openings 66 in the fixed head 17, these latter openings being, as clearly shown in Fig. 6, of sufficient height to allow the belt to havev free vertical movement as the spindle and its attached pulley are adjusted up and down. 67 indicates another belt that runs over pulleys 68 and 69 that are fast on the shafts 16 i and 15, respectively, and 70 indicates a third belt running over pulleys 71 and 72 that are secured upon the shafts 15 and 13, respectively. To hold the drive belt 63 under thereof, and projecting forwardly from such.

sleeve portion is an arm 77havinga hole therethrough near its forward end. One of the side walls 18 ofthe stationary head is bowed outwairlly as at 78, and through a hole in such bowed-out portion passes a rod 79, which rod is also passed through the hole in the forward end of the arm 77. The inner end of this rod is provided with a head 80 which is in contact with the arm 77, and the outer end of the rod is screw-threaded to receive a wing-nut 81 therein. 82' indi cates a short coiled spring interposed betweensaid wing nut and the outer surface of the bowed-out portion 78 of the side wall 18. This construction, it will be evident, will hold the roller 73 yieldingly against the belt 63, and it is evident that by aturning of the nut the degree of yielding pressure of the roller against such belt may be varied as desired. A

In operation the article which is to be grooved will be arranged upon a bed or table as usual and a templet laid thereover to serve as a guide for the grooving cutter. In Fig.- 2 a portion of a frame of a piano sounding board is shown and indicated by a, and the grooved or channeled templetthati i the cutter 40 into position to enter oneof the parallel channels of the teinplet, the shoe 44 resting on the surface of the templet at each side of such channel, and thus serving to regulate exactly the depth of the groove to be made by the cutter in the frame. The pushing of the shoe over the temp1et,of

&

course, brings the cutter into contact with the frame bar a, and cuts the desired groove therein. Thereupon the downward pressure upon the handle bar will be released and the cutter drawn back over the templct, and the" head will then again be lowered and the cutter entered in thenext channel of the templet to form the next groove inthe frame bar, and so on for successive. grooves. Due

ing the making of grooves that extend. through from side to side of a frame bar the shoe el-l will be held rigidly locked to the block in the manner described. However, there are certain sounding-board frame bars in piano structures that rhcv'e upstanding ledges adjacent one edge. through which ledges 'the'grooves willnot extend, but which should end substantially opposite the edge ofsuch ledges. Such 'a frame bar member is shown in Figs. 9 and 10 and is indicated by a. Lyingclosely against one edge of that frame bar a is a thicker and widerbar at, which, by reason of itsbeing thicker, forms a ledge or abutment that rises above 1 the surface of the frame bar a, as best shown in Fig. 10. It in such a situation that the operator will, through the latch 60, force down the forward end of the lever againstthe action of the spring 57 so as to release the shoe 44 from its lO L'lKQd engagement with the block l5. lVhen such unlocking of the shoe from the block is thus effected the forward end of the shoe when coming' in contact with the abutment orledge of the frame bar will cause the shoe to be moved back against the action of the coiled spring to thelimit of its mover rent, which imit is controlled by the length of the slot 53. The cutter, however, can still continue to move forward so as to complete the groove up to a point in'line with the said ledge on the frame bar. Indeed, the'cutter in order to complete the'groove fullyacross the face of the bar a will necessarily cut in alittle into the edge of the other bar 64 as is inch-- ment thatrises from the surface in which the groove is being formed, and this latter operatlon 1s a very desirable one as no change mthe apparatus is requiredv to be made by the operator other than the turning of the atch that is adjacent to the hand on one of the handles. After such latch has been turned, the shoe, by reason of contacting with such ledge or abutment on the material being grooved, is automatically moved away and the end of thegrooving operation is stopped at exactly the required point. While I have spoken of the shoe 424: as moving back after. it comes in contact with a ledge on the frame bar thatis being grooved, it will be understood that such movement is, more strictly stated, a relative movement only with respect to the block 45 that it is slidingly connected with, for, of course, after the shoe contacts such ledge the forward movement of the apparatus continues to complete the groove up to such ledge, during which time the shoe is stationary and the block 45 slides over it.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a routing machine, the combination of'a laterally-swinging pivoted arm, a vertical head at the forward end thereof, a vertically-movable head connected with said first-named head, co0perat1ng grueling de vices carried by said heads, respectively, a cutter-carrying spindle attached to said movable head, means for normally holding said movable head in raised position relatively to said first-named head and means supported by said arm for rotating said spindle. y

2. In a routing machine, the combination of a laterally-swinging pivoted arm, a vertical head at the forward end thereof, a

raised position. and means supported by said 1 arm for rotating saidspindlej 3. In a routlng machine, the combination of a laterally-swlnglng pivoted arm, a vertical head at the forward end thereof, a

tical head at the forward end thereof, a

vertically-movable head connected with said first-named head cooperating guiding devices carried by haid heads. respectively, a cutter-carrying spindle attached to said movable head, an arm secured to and extending forward from said pivoted arm, a spring interposed between said forwardlyextending arm and said movable head and acting to hold said movable head in raised position, and means supported by the said movable arm for rotating'said spindle.

' 5. In a routing machine, the combination of a laterally-swinging arm, a vertical head at the forward end thereof comprising a body member and two parallel side members projecting forwardly from the side margins of said body member, alongitudinally-movable head in front of said first-named head, guide ribs on the inner face of said movable head, guide rollers carried by the side members of said first-named head and in contact with said ribs, yielding means for normally holding said movable head in raised position, a. cutter-carrying spindle attached to said movable head, and means supported by said arm for rotating said spindle. I

6. In a routing machine, the 'combination of a laterally-swinging arm, a vertical head at the forward end thereof comprising a body member and two parallel side members pro jecting forwardly from the side margins of i said body member, a longitudinally-movable head in front of said first-named head, guide ribs on the inner face of said movable head, guiderollers carried by the sidemembers of said first-namedhead and in contact with said ribs, yielding means for normally holding said movable head in raised position, a cutter-carrying spindle attached to'said movable head, a pulley fast on said spindle, and a driving belt for said pulley supported by said arm and passing through openings in both of said heads, the opening in the firstnamed head being enlarged vertically to permit the belt to move up and downwith the spindle. v

7 In a routing machine, the combination with a laterally-swinging pivoted arm, a vertrical head at the forward end thereof, a ver tically-movable head connected with said first-named head, yielding means for normally holding'said movable head in raised position, a rotatable spindle attached to and movable up and down with said movable head, a cutter at the lower end of said spindle, a sliding shoe connected with said firstnamed' head and having a slot through which the stem of said cutter passes, means for normally locking said shoe against, independent movement, and means for unlocking said shoe to permit a relative sliding movement of the shoe when the forward end thereof is moved against an obstruction.

to which it is attached whenfsaid shoe is forced against an obstruction. Y

' 9. In a routing machine, the combination of a rotatable spindle, a support therefor, a

cutter carried by a stem secured in the lower end of the spindle, a shoe having a slot through which said stem passes, a relativelyfixed block with which said shoe is movably connected, means for locking said shoe to said'block, and other means for breaking said-locking engagement to permit said shoe to move relatively to said block when'said shoe isforced against an obstruction.

10. In a routing machine, the combination of a rotatable spindle," a support therefor, a cutter carried by a stemsecured in the lowerv end of the spindle, a shoe having a slot through which said stem passes, a relativelyfixed block with which said shoe is movably connected, means for locking said shoe'to said block, other means. for breaking said locking engagement to permit said shoe to move relatively to said block when said shoe is forced" against anobstr'uctiomand a spring 'opposing such relative movementof the shoe.

'11. In a routing machine, the combination of a rotatable spindle, a; support therefor, a cutter carried by; a stem secured in the lower end of the spindle, a, shoe having aslotl2. Ina routing machine, the combina tio-n of a rotatable spindle, a support there-. i

for, a cutter carried'by a stem secured in the lower end of the'sp-indle, a shoe having a slot through which saidstem passes, a relativelyfixed block longitudinally-recessed in one face in which recess is slidingly retained'a member of said shoe, a coiled spring secured in a chamber in said shoe member and bearing at its inner end against a projection carried by the block, means for normally holding said shoe locked to the block, and other means for breaking such locking engagement to permit the shoe, after it strikes an obstruction, to move backward relatively to the block and against the ac tion of said spring. v

13. In a routing machine, the combina tion with a pivoted arm adapted to be freely movable in all directions in a horizontal plane, a vertical head connected with the outer end thereof, a second head slidingly connected with said first-mentioned head, means for normally holding said sliding head in raised position, a handle-bar for drawing down said sliding head, a rotatable spindle carried by and movable'with said tion with a pivoted arm adapted to'b'e freely movable in all directions in horizontal plane, a I, vertical head connected with the outer end thereof, a second head slidingly' connectedwith said first-mentioned head, means for normally holding said sliding head in raised posito-n, a handlebar for drawing down said sliding head, a rotatable spindle carried by and movable with/said sliding head, a cutter-stem carried bythe lowerend of said spindle, a shoe having a slot through which said stem projects, a

" block carried by said movable head and with Which block said shoe is movably interlocked, a pin movably mounted in said. block and engaging said shoe, and means comprisingv a latch carried by said handle-bar for, withdrawing said pin to permit a sliding relative :mo-vement of said shoe when the forward end of the shoe comes against an obstruction. V

15. In, a routing machine, the combina tion with a pivoted arm adapted to be freely movable in all directions in s a horizontal plane, a vertical head connected with the outer end thereof, a. second head slidingly connected with said first-mentioned head, means for normally holding said sliding head in raised position, a handle-bar for drawing down said sliding he;ad,;a rotatable spindle carried by and movable-with said sliding head, a cutter-stem carried by the lower end of said spindle, a shoe having a slot through which said stem projects, a

block carried by said movable head and'with which bloc-k said "shoe is movably inter looked, a pin m-ovably mounted'in said block and engaging said'shoe, and means for with drawing said pin to permit a 'relatlve movement of said shoe after the forward end of the shoe comes in contact with an obstruction, such pin-withdrawing means compris ing a latch carried by said handle-bar and a,

pivoted lever connected at one end with said pin and at the other end in contact with said latch. i

16. In a routing machine, the combina tion of a supporting member adaptedto be freely moved in all directions in a horizontal plane, a rotatable spindle connected with said supporting member and movable up and down with respect thereto, a cutter stem secured to the lower end of said spindle, a

shoe slidingly connected with said supportmg member and projecting for a portion of its length beyond said cutter stem, means for normally locking said shoe against independent movement, and other means for unlocking said shoe to permit-it to'have a relative sliding movement after its forward end has encountered an obstruction. Y I

17. In a routing machine, the combination of a supporting member adapted to be freely moved in all directions ina horizontal plane, a rotatable spindle-connected with said supporting member and movable up and down with respect thereto, a cutter stem secured to the lower end of said spindle, a shoe slidingly connected with said supporting member andprojecting for a portion of its length beyond said cutter stem, a spring THEODORE o. HANSEN; 

